Before the third period, we asked if the Flyers could hold their 2-0 lead.
Informal poll: Do the Flyers protect this lead in the third?
— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) March 30, 2013
And the vast majority of responses screamed a resounding no. Of course the Flyers won’t hold the lead. They couldn’t do it against the Islanders, so there’s little chance they’ll do it against the Bruins.
But then, somehow, despite even sitting back a bit in the third, the Flyers were able to hold the lead. Ilya Bryzgalov made some timely stops and despite a Boston push late, the Flyers came away with the victory. It’s the first win against Boston since the first game of the 2011-12 season, and it’s the first regular season win against the Bruins in Philadelphia since October 2009.
Despite a patchwork defensive corps that saw both Bruno Gervais and Oliver Lauridsen see substantial ice time, the unit on the whole performed quite well. Lauridsen had an admirable NHL debut and overall, the defense wasn’t nearly as poor as it’s been in recent games. Somehow, the Flyers controlled the pace of the game, led in shot count and did a lot of positive things. It wasn’t perfect or anything but they certainly played much better than they have across their now-snapped four-game win streak.
The day isn’t over, but as of now, the win puts the Flyers with 31 points in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders already lost to Pittsburgh today, so if the Rangers lose to Montreal later this evening, the Flyers will sit just four points out of the final playoff spot. Today’s game doesn’t change the general outlook about this Flyers team, but since the rest of the conference is playing awful hockey too, they might still just have a chance to sneak into the postseason. Maybe.
Comment of the Day
Rooting for a draft pick is exhausting, I’m so conflicted.
>> ohshay
